Entertainment - Virginia Air And Space Center Now Open

Hampton Roads' newest museum, the $29.7 million Virginia Air and Space Center and Hampton Roads History Center, opened on the downtown Hampton waterfront in April.

Since then, the sprawling 110,000-square-foot display of historic artifacts, gleaming airplanes and high-tech space equipment has attracted more than 100,000 visitors.

The center's attractions range from the Langley Aerodrome, one of the earliest experimental airplanes, to the historic lunar lander training module and the Apollo 12 command module that orbited the moon. All three exhibits demonstrate the important role played by Hampton's Langley/NASA Research Center, the first of its kind in the United States, in the history of aviation and space exploration.

Among the biggest attractions is the IMAX theater, which use a 50-foot-high screen and state-of-the-art sound system to present dramatic films of flight and space exploration.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. Regular admission is $3 for adults and $1.50 for children 3-18. Combined admission to both the center and the IMAX theater is $6 for adults and $4.25 for children. 600 Settlers Landing Road, Hampton. For information, call 727-0800.